Page 160 of To Free a Soul
It made it difficult to know which way to go, especially since Orpheus’ fur was black. A blur of white passed just up ahead, tailed by a whisk of colourless spirit. Even if she hadn’t seen it, the sharp and heavy pants of a large creature running on all fours would have alerted her to their whereabouts, as well as the fast thumping of his hands and back paws.
And the many that followed.
Turning incorporeal, Lindiwe chased after them.
It was difficult. Orpheus was a Duskwalker sprinting at full speed and panicked. Her only advantage was that he had to navigate the terrain, whereas she ghosted through tree trunks without needing to evade or sidestep them.
In front of her, Orpheus ducked beneath a Demon as it leapt from the side. Another came from the other direction and managed to grab one of the straps of a satchel to cling to him.
“Orpheus!” Reia shouted, and he slowed down to look behind him with white orbs.
It gave the blonde-haired woman a chance to catch up, jump onto his back, turn physical, and pull her sword from its sheath.She stabbed the Demon in the back, deep enough that it sliced through the bag beneath it. Salt dribbled from it as she managed to stay on top of him while he continued to sprint. Her pale-blue dress, cinched by a brown girdle, flapped behind her as she yanked her sword out and kicked the vile creature away.
Her silver diadem glinted whenever a tiny streak of dappled light hit it.
Reia turned incorporeal again just as a Demon dived at her. It went through her ghostly body, smashed into another on the other side, and they both hurtled to the ground. She hopped off so Orpheus could move with ease, resuming to run behind him in her incorporeal form.
This gave Lindiwe a chance to catch up, and she managed to fall in step with Reia.
“You’re here?” she asked, her blonde brows furrowing in Lindiwe’s direction. Her green eyes, narrowed with determination, had a worried edge to them. That anxiety seemed to double when she brought her stare back to Orpheus, who darted to the right to avoid a Demon trying to cut him off.
Lindiwe nodded. “Stay in your Phantom form. Orpheus will try to defend you otherwise.”
Reia shook her head with her frown deepening. “But he knows I can’t die.”
“Do you think that matters to him?”
She opened her mouth to argue, only to promptly shut it. No, it wouldn’t matter to Orpheus. If his bride was in danger, he’d lay his life down to defend her, even if that was pointless and a little silly. He was protective, he loved her, and he didn’t care if he came to harm, so long as not a scratch landed on her pretty head.
“He just needs to keep running.” Lindiwe nodded to him. “He can outrun the Demons if you don’t distract him like before.”
“But if he’s hurt–”
“It doesn’t matter.”
The look she gave Lindiwe was deadly, likely thinking she was being callous.
“Jabez knows their weakness,” she reminded Reia. “These Demons likely know it now too. What’s a wound, so long as he lives?”
Reia threw her arms up with a grunted scream. “Can’t you do something to help?!”
“No. I can hold off a few, but that will put me behind you both. I need to remain at your side.”
“I thought you had all this power and shit!”
Orpheus gave a bellowing roar when a Demon, who had managed to get a hold of his bag straps again, bit into the side of his neck.
Lindiwe didn’t interfere; she didn’t need to.
He smashed his side into a tree trunk, squishing the Demon until it let go before sprinting at full speed again.
“I’m more worried about the danger that is likely to show himself at any moment. We must wait for that, rather than expending our energy and resources now.”
Reia’s lips thinned in understanding, and she nodded. That’s when Lindiwe manoeuvred herself beside Orpheus, so she could be close enough and ready.
Jabez will show himself soon enough.
No matter how fast they ran, or the distance they covered, a horrible feeling came over Lindiwe the longer the chase went on and Jabez didn’t appear. Even just an hour further into the afternoon made the Veil more shaded, setting her on edge.
